Background: A recent guideline emphasized strict blood pressure (BP) control for the patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. However, there are little data about the relationship between BP control and clinical outcome in Korea. We sought to evaluate the clinical outcomes according to the mean observed BP in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who had undergone drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
Methods: We reviewed records of 1010 CAD patients with DES from 2010 through 2011. After excluding in-hospital mortality cases (n = 79), we categorized patients into two groups based on the average SBP (SBP) at the outpatient clinic: mean SBP 120 mmHg or less (n = 290) and mean SBP greater than 120 mmHg (n = 641). Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction, repeat target vessel revascularization, or stroke. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in baseline clinical variables. Median follow-up duration was 77.7 (36.6-87.3) months.
Results: The mean SBP greater than 120 mmHg had higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes (38.4 vs. 27.2%, P = 0.001), hypertension (58.8 vs. 32.4%, P < 0.001), and chronic kidney disease (3.3 vs. 1.0%, P = 0.043) than mean SBP 120 mmHg or less. MACCE incidence was significantly lower in the mean SBP 120 mmHg or less than in the mean SBP greater than 120 mmHg (14.3 vs. 22.0%, P = 0.007) at 77.7 months. Even after propensity score matching, the mean SBP 120 mmHg or less showed significantly reduced MACCE rate (14.3 vs. 22.8%, P = 0.007).
Conclusion: Mean observed SBP 120 mmHg or less was associated with a lower incidence of future adverse outcomes in CAD patients with DES.